running generator while towing

[Tarheel_Travele]

Hi all, haven't been here for a while, but know one of you can answer my question. Just acquired a 20' tag along with a fridge that only works with 115/120 volts. So, will it hurt the tv or the tag along if I run my generator(Honda EU2000i)while I am towing? Searched but couldn't find any related. Thanx in advance for any help.

[Tarheel_Travele]

Wow, a lot of good info. Things I never thought of. Like the bouncing of the TT affecting the oil cutoff switch. Think I will be putting the gen in the bed of our TV. I have a topper on it so I do not believe security would be a problem. I was told when I bought the unit that food would stay cool/cold for up to 8 hours, but our last trip home was 6 hours and when we got home all food was warm/bad. Thanks so much, all of you. Will let you know how it goes.

Tarheel Traveler

[Houston_Remodel]

Give the rear bumper a road test before committing. If your trailer's rear end bobbing all over + driving style + typical roads = the oil sensor cutting off the genny, then it will have been for naught.

To avoid the oil sensor cutting the genny move the genny to the hitch or the TV

[mlts22]

I've run my Yamaha generator while on the road, making sure it was strapped down with nylon webbing and that the exhaust side was clear. A generator is designed for vibrations... being in/on a vehicle isn't anything that will make it break down.

[DrewE]

Tarheel Traveler wrote:
Good suggestions all. Thought there would be no problems but wanted some good feedback. All of our trips will probably be long ones 500 miles or more. Planning this fall a trip from Tx to the northeast. Last trip was to Ft. Davis, TX (bout 1,000 miles). took 2 days with a stop for the night at RV park). Did not open the fridge during the day but when we got there food in fridge was warm. Plan on mounting the gen on the rear bumper. It now has a tire and rack there. Should not be much weight difference. you guys/gals always come thru. Thanks to all.

Tarheel Traveler

What kind of a fridge do you have? If it's a dual-fuel gas/electric fridge, it's not going to cool noticeably better on the road using electricity than using propane (unless there's something wrong with the gas side of the setup). If it works fine when stationary, check the condensation drip tubing for good condition and proper routing/traps...probably among other possible problems.

Edit: I guess I missed or forgot your initial post which says the fridge only works on 120V power. Is that because it's a 120V household compressor fridge, or because it's an RV fridge where the LP side of things isn't working for some reason? If the latter, figuring out the LP setup might be a preferable solution.

[GordonThree]

I wouldn't use the bumper unless you welded it yourself, or had a trusted welder do the work for you.

The factory just barely tacks those bumpers on, barely enough to hold the spare tire.

[Tarheel_Travele]

Good suggestions all. Thought there would be no problems but wanted some good feedback. All of our trips will probably be long ones 500 miles or more. Planning this fall a trip from Tx to the northeast. Last trip was to Ft. Davis, TX (bout 1,000 miles). took 2 days with a stop for the night at RV park). Did not open the fridge during the day but when we got there food in fridge was warm. Plan on mounting the gen on the rear bumper. It now has a tire and rack there. Should not be much weight difference. you guys/gals always come thru. Thanks to all.

Tarheel Traveler

[Houston_Remodel]

We run the AC in the trailer while towing to keep the dogs alive, the sugar from turning into a brick, and the chocolate cookies from melting together.

[GordonThree]

Tarheel Traveler wrote:
Hi all, haven't been here for a while, but know one of you can answer my question. Just acquired a 20' tag along with a fridge that only works with 115/120 volts. So, will it hurt the tv or the tag along if I run my generator(Honda EU2000i)while I am towing? Searched but couldn't find any related. Thanx in advance for any help.

Absolutely possible! It's not a big pain as some others seem to think it is.

Here's what I did:

1. From Lowes (HomeD, etc) I bought a 12 gauge (<- that's important) 50 foot outdoor extension cord, and a female twist-lock connector that mates with the male twist-lock on my RV. I also bought a few rolls of the plastic wire-loom stuff that's split down the side. Spend the extra $$$ on a true 12 gauge cord, they cost double what a regular "heavy duty" 14 gauge cord does, but that extra wire weight is worth it.

2. Cut the female end off the extension cord, and fed about 25 feet of cord through the wire-loom stuff. I saved 10 feet of cord on the female end, and made up a short extension cord with it.

3. Crawling under the trailer, I routed the wire-loom inside the box section of my trailer frame, and along the A-frame up to the tongue jack. The other end of the cable, I pulled enough slack to reach to where the twist-lock connector is.

4. Stripped and attached the twist-lock female onto the end of the cord.

5. Bundled up the slack cord at the front of the trailer and attached it with a bungie-cord to the propane tank.

Total time invested: 20 minutes if that, most of it was feeding the cord into the wire-loom stuff.

Any time I want to recharge my batteries after dry camping, or run the fridge on AC when I'm low on propane, I just unbundle the cord, plug it into the generator in the truck bed and let 'er rip.

[TomG2]

This has also been discussed by those wanting to run their trailer air conditioner while towing. I did it, just to verify to myself that I could. No problems.

[Kayteg1]

You do know that with 30 amp charging wire all trucks do have and small inverter you can power the fridge from truck alternator and no need for additional generator?

[1492]

Moved from Forum Technical Support

[path1]

I suppose you could do that but why go thru all that hassle? Wife and I picked up what is link below. Monitored our frig/freezer temps while traveling all day. Temps don't high enough to bother running propane or generator. But, I did have to buy some fancy batteries for the sensor to work in freezer, didn't work off regular batteries. That is in instructions but sort of hidden.

Wireless remote readout up front with us and fridge/freezer sensors 50 feet behind RV no problem. And cheaper than running generator.

https://www.acurite.com/digital-freezer-refrigerator-thermometer-with-temperature-alarms-00986.html

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5UJB3hU4Os

What ever your comfortable with. Every year we bring home a 1/2 steer from family farm other side of state and run generator for chest type freezer in the bed of pickup as it takes us a week to get home via camping and visiting other family along the way.

[Houston_Remodel]

We run our genny in the bed of the TV while rolling down the road. To accomplish this we;

1- Added a genny cord outlet to the front of the TT. Its the kind with the big screw on washer to hold the connection in place
2- Installed a rotary switch. This allows the TT to be powered by the shore power OR the genny but never both at the same time. In the genny position there is no power to the shore power cord. The rotary switch also allows the genny to bypass the hard wired surge protector which is attached to the shore power.
3- Since the 12v system is separate from the 12v system, there is no problem with the TV or the TT while driving down the road.
4- A genny box keeps the genny secure in the bed of the TV
5- The cord between the genny and the TT is held in place to keep it from eventually dragging on the road.

[ChooChooMan74]

Mod, Please move this out of the Forum Tech Support to the proper area.

Biggest issues I see is supporting the shore line and if the shore line is long enough to reach the bed of your truck.

How long is your drive? If just a few hours, why bother? It won't get warm enough, especially if everything is well chilled inside.